Fans all say the same thing over viral Ben Simmons video

Australian basketball star Ben Simmons has gone viral once again, just weeks out from the NBA season getting underway.

Here we go again.

In what has become a yearly tradition, Ben Simmons has gone viral after showing off his basketball prowess on the practice court during pre-season training for the Brooklyn Nets.

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The 28-year-old Australian is preparing for his ninth season in the league since being taken with the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

While he blew the basketball world away in his first few seasons, the three-time All-Star has become the easiest of targets for social media backlash.

Ahead of every season videos of Simmons knocking down three-point shots and blowing past defenders begin to circulate as they hype builds of a return to his glory days.

But once the season proper commences, the Aussie guard tends to succumb to injury and ultimately miss a large portion of the season.

Need proof? Simmons has missed a staggering 189 out of a potential 246 games over the previous three seasons.

So when a fresh video of Simmons lighting it up from beyond the arc was posted on X, basketball fans were all left saying the exact same thing.

Fans aren't buying the hype.

Another year of Ben Simmons propaganda.

One wrote in response to the video: “I see this post every off-season.”

A second added: “He’s not fooling anyone.”

A third wrote: “We go through this every year.”

A fourth fumed: “How many times we going to do this?”

Fans were also quick to highlight how every off-season we see videos of Simmons knocking down threes with ease, despite only making five throughout his NBA career.

Just for further context, Simmons has attempted only 36 three-point attempts and has a shooting percentage of 13.9 per cent from deep.

One fan wrote: “He won’t make 1 all season.”

A second added: “We know Ben ain’t taking much of those in season.”

Ben on the bench has become a familiar sight. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images/AFP

Simmons is entering the final year of a monstrous five-year contract that will see him earn an eye-watering $A59 million for the season.

A contract year could be the saving grace fans have been hoping for with Simmons stating during a Brooklyn Nets media day his body hasn’t felt this good in a long time.

As far as the online haters on social media, he’s not worried about that.

“It’s nothing to say to them because I don’t really know them. I’m here to play basketball. The priority is just to play and be healthy,” Simmons said.

“So all the other stuff that’s been said, that’s just words from people that have something to say about something they don’t have an understanding of or information on.

“Yeah. I feel like when my body is healthy, that’s the confidence I always have, and that’s where I’m at right now. Physically I feel great and ready to go. And so it’s just getting reps, game reps and playing.”

Simmons has been rarely sighted on the court. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

In the 57 games he has played out of the 191 Nets games since he was added to the roster, Simmons will have been paid $A127m while averaging just 6.7 points.

But with a reported clean bill of health, there’s hope he can return to his Philadelphia days where he averaged 15.9 points, 7.7 assists, and 8.1 rebounds.

Over the course of the past two seasons, the Nets have gone 31-26 with Simmons on the court and 46-61 without him.

If, and that’s a gigantic if, he can stay healthy, the Simmons of old could return to the hardwood and once again delight basketball audiences.

Until then, he’ll remain the easiest of targets for online vitriol.

Originally published as Fans all say the same thing over viral Ben Simmons video